Naturally, the Fortress-building system has returned as well, but this time in a much more conservative shape. Upgraded in the same manner as the previous two games, [Budehuc Castle] grows and transforms as you recruit more and more of the 108 stars of destiny. Not as big as the keep from the last game, the new 3D version of your castle is still pretty enjoyable with plenty of cool tidbits and mini-games to keep you busy. Gambling games, horse racing, and all the shops and stores you've encountered on your journey make appearances (along with some familiar faces from the previous two games), but the beloved cooking game from the last venture has been nixed in favor of recipe mixing for items. Too bad.

At least Konami has finally found the right balance for characters, as roughly 70% of them require ample playing time to advance the storyline further. A problem in past incarnations, it was commonplace for players to pick six personalities they really gelled with and use them for the majority of the game, while ignoring the lion's share of their cast. Though you can still take that approach to an extent in Suikoden III, you're almost required to use as many characters as possible. If you don't, you may find out later on that an underdeveloped or forgotten character has a certain moment in the spotlight, and if they're not ready for it, the consequences could be dire enough to come back and bite you in the ass.

Graphics With the jump to 3D, Suikoden not only sports the best visuals in the series' history, but also the best character designs. Detailed and appropriately fantastic, the unique cast of characters begs your attention. From the exquisite costumes given to Hugo and Chris to the outlandish wackiness of Sgt. Joe and Landis, the art direction in an RPG hasn't been this good since Xenogears in 1998. (Save for Lulu in FFX, she ranks up there as one of the best designs ever).

The cityscapes and environments are just as good. With subtle additions and obstacles to give the game a realistic if not upbeat mood. Wandering felines, stacked boxes, and alleyways with hidden couples in make-out mode are but a few of the jillions of visual goodies and appreciative extras you'll find while moving towards the game's conclusion.

All those extra details however, end up hampering one of the game's few shortcomings -- the framerate. Perfectly fine when running in wide-open spaces, it takes a noticeable dip when traversing the busy city streets; particularly in the Zexen capital of Vinay del Zexay. While I can accept that games can never find a perfect animation balance, some of the slowdown in Zexay gets pretty bad, and ultimately drops to the 10fps mark. A problem that's encountered for roughly 20-40 seconds the entire game; it's a forgivable flaw for sure? but really bad when it happens.

The neat magical spells and excellent combination attacks almost make up for it though. And while the monster summons and Level-four mage work can't compete with some of the more spectacular effect kings like Final Fantasy or Skies of Arcadia, they do a decent mid-level job that beat nearly every other current generation RPG to the punch. That's a pretty big accomplishment.

If I had to get angry about anything though, it's the lack of imagination with the enemies. Pretty generic and rarely spectacular, you won't find beasts to speak of around the water cooler until close to the end of the game. Even then, I don't think there was any creature that could compare to the baddies from Final Fantasy X or even Shadow Hearts. If only there was as much effort on the enemy side as there was with the character designs.

Sound It's not the greatest music the series has to offer (I'm torn between the awesome acoustic theme from the first game, and damn near all of disc two on the Suikoden II OST), but it's more than adequate for frequent RPG fans. More Mediterranean and Indian-inspired than before, the score is littered with ballads from the sitar, flute, and old-fashioned guitar. Primarily upbeat in nature, there isn't a single tune that's out of place when moving from place to place.

Unfortunately, because of the mood the composer was going for some of the songs are hard to differentiate, and result in a couple of tracks that go completely unnoticed because of their similarity. The other two games had this problem to a lesser degree, but I noticed it more so in the third installment. That said, there is still a damn fine collection of tunes in here and they're good enough to warrant an import album purchase.

Interestingly enough, the sound effects are just slightly above average. With a good mix of audio we've heard before in a much clearer form. Sword clangs, arrow swishes, and crackling fire are realistically handled, but in this day and age of advanced technology, I was sad to see that there was no DPL2 or Surround Support at all -- it's just your basic Stereo and Mono variety.

Suikoden III

One of the most intense RPG games returns as SUIKODEN 3. Fifteen years after SUIKODEN 2, follow the intertwining stories of Hugo, the son of a village chief; Chris, the virtuous Knight of Zexen; and Geddoe, the rebellious unit commander, as they meet again to gather the 108 Stars of Destiny. SUIKODEN 3 with its 3 different battle systems, 3 main characters, 3 styles of combat and a fully detailed 3D world is deservedly one of the best RPGs today.

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The Verdict

Suikoden III is so gigantic, that it could have easily been two or three entirely separate games. Overflowing with character development and a high-quality story that's rivaled only by Squaresoft's equally impressive Final Fantasy X, Konami's latest effort reeks of major league production value. So impressed was I by the sheer size and fun of it all, I came to realize that there is just no way that a single play-through could do justice to this fantastic world.

Whether the addictive mini-games like Bodhran and the super-fast rendition of horse racing tickles your fancy, or playing as 108 completely unique and identifiable characters is more your speed, Suikoden III is never at a loss of something to give its player. One of the most enjoyable, deep, and pleasing Role-Playing adventures I've ever experienced, Konami's three-time lucky masterpiece is as close to perfection as I could have hoped. An easy recommendation to any and all RPG fans regardless of their dedication, Suikoden III is most definitely for real. Go out and buy it right now!